FINALLY!!! Mississippi COMPLETE! (PIC HEAVY)

So the story goes like this...

I've been trying to knock Mississippi off my 49 state slam for three years now. Every year the hunting gets harder and harder. By far, one of the toughest states I've ever hunted. Not because of the turkeys, but due to the number of people that love to turkey hunt in that state. It never fails when I get to my hunting spot 1.5 hours before fly down, some guy pulls in and makes his way torwards my hunting spot. I don't know if my tag gives it away, but I'm just about fed up with each and every time I'm working a bird some guy comes walking down the trail calling with a box call like he's trying to strike a flame. Any who, it's just about the respect when you're hunting a smaller parcel of land and you know another hunter is in there hunting, move on and locate another bird. Sorry if I'm venting, but now onto the good stuff....

I put in for a quota hunt at the Bienville National Forest and got selected for Bienville WMA, Caney Creek WMA, and Tallahalla WMA. I was hoping for less people, but I sure was wrong about that. LOL!

Opening morning - 3/12/11
Was at my spot on Bienville WMA 2 hours before flydown. Yeah, a wee-bit early, but I think I'm some what traumatized from the past years. I rode my bike in and was sitting down at civil twilight when some guy came walking down the trail. SOOO, I got on my bike and went on down the trail to another bird I heard the morning before. Heard that bird start gobbling and went down after him. Not 20 mins later...BOOOM! Some guy came in from private ground and shot at him. Don't know if he killed him or if he even had a quota permit...all I know is he took a shot and I had to clean my drawers. I got back on my bike and went to the truck. I had enough of that spot. I headed to another little spot I scouted via google earth and it seemed great since it was the only spot I didn't see a truck. Got on my bike and rode in about a mile and a half before seeing a huge flock of hens. At that point I knew there had to be a longbeard in there and I backed out for the next morning

Second day at Bienville WMA - 3/12/11
Got to the gate 1.5 hours early and waited with all intentions to hit the gate if I saw a truck pull up...LOL! Luckily, not one vehicle pulled in, so I took my time and hit the trail. Got to the spot I wanted to listen from and waited till civil twilight. At around 0630 I heard a gobble. Usually I wait a bit before going after him just in case there's another turkey closer. But, in my situation I got on my bike and took off like a bat out of you know what like I was racing Lance Armstrong to the finish line to the area the turkey was in. I got off my bike and took off into the area I projected him to be in. Got set up and waited for the next gobble. After a few minutes he gobbled and I was maybe 100 yards from him and every other hen in Scott county. After he hit the ground he completely shut up and I didn't hear another peep for hours. At around 1130 I got to this pretty bottom opening and sat down for a calling sequence. I ran my mouth call and crystal simultaneously and upon the end of the sequence I heard a broken gobble. At that point I thought it was a super Jake, which in Mississippi the beard has to be at least 6 inches. Well, at the same time a crow was going crazy in the same general direction and what I thought was a super Jake was a mature longbeard gobbling. At that point I was getting tore up cause I knew what was about to happen. I yelped a few sequences, purred, and gave him some whinning yelps as he got closer...before I knew it he was closing the distance and I could see him coming down the bottom torwards me. At 60 yards he got hung up gobbling his head off working this one strip back and forth. From here I was getting worried as if the opportunity has finally presented itself without some other hunter and I have the turkey plain as day right in front of me. I knew he was fired up so I purred softly, with a whinning yelp in between and before I knew it he started flying and was 35 yards in front of me. Apparently there was a creek right in front of me that I couldn't see...LOL! So, he flew across and came another 6 yards before he started puttin' because he knew something wasn't right. I pulled the trigger and he flew away...at this point I was ready to jump in the creek and drown myself. I was so upset!!! Had a great opportunity and I absolutely blew it. I sat there and wondered what the heck happened. Then right in front of me I noticed what happened...I shot a dang tree!!! My scope blurred out the tree in between the tom and I. After that mishap I called it quits and went back to the hotel to try and figure out the next hunt at Caney Creek WMA.

Caney Creek WMA - 3/14/11
The night before I did a little scouting via google earth and found this one area that required a 2 mile bike ride in. So, I got there early and took off down this rough trail to its end. I waited for maybe 30 mins before civil twilight and got ready for any gobble I possibly would hear. This morning I didn't hear diddly squat! So I took off into the bottom and made my way torwards the point I found on google earth. After crossing at least 4 big creeks (via fallen trees), almost being attacked by cottonmouths, and almost poopin' myself (hunter blowing a squealing hen) I finally gave up on that particular area. Oh, not to mention the area I was hunting at the time I called it quits was under a tornado warning! Yeah, when I thought things couldn't get any worse they did! LOL! I went back to the hotel and did some more google earth scouting for the final day of my trip.

Caney Creek WMA - 3/15/11
At this point I was ready to pay someone 500 buck for a private land hunt. I was so through with Mississippi and ready to come home. I've never been to a state more than twice and dealt with the issues I encountered. So, I took off into the woods with my hopes some what in the dump, in efforts of bagging a MS longbeard. I got to the spot I looked over and sat down. It was well past civil twilight before I heard the first gobble. I instantly took off not missing a stride before reaching a bottom and getting within 100 yards of an older gobbling longbeard (really deeeeep gobble). I sat down and got ready. After five minutes I kee-kee with my mouth call followed up with a kee-kee run and yelped with my crystal call. He instantly gobbled back and it was on like a chicken bone from there on. He flew down and made his way torwards my setup. He started going to my right, which was really thick and I purred and yelped to my left to move him back in a clearing. Luckily it worked and he was in my lap within' 10 mins from the time he flew down. The rest is history and now he's roostin' in my deep freezer. All in all, MISSISSIPPI is off my LIST! Thank God, and what an emotional hunt it was for me. It's the first hunt I've been on since my father passed away. I'm an emotional man in general...and yeah, I was crying like a baby once he dropped in his tracks. I didn't even look at him until I got done thankin' the Lord (and of course my pops)! Any who, if I don't kill another turkey for the rest of my life I feel some what complete now that I killed a turkey in that state. Check out the pics below as I took quite a few on this trip. Good luck to all and God bless!!!!

PS - This hunt was for my pops! RIP Dr. Dad (12/9/10)!

Awesome man.....just straight up awesome. Congrats.

Man you smashed his noggin for sure! That was a good read and congrats. I'm sure you dad was/is smiling!

Awesome story! It definately pays off when you put the time in. It might suck while your doing it but in the end it makes it that much better. Good job man.

Congrats! How many more states do you have? Sounds like you earned that one for sure.

Nice David, I know you worked hard for him! Congrats buddy!

Sweet!

Sounds like a great hunt, thanks for sharing....congrats!!

Congratulations on a fine bird. I'm glad you hung in there and got him. I know Dad was beaming down.

Congrats on the bird!

I hunted Bienville NF when I was in law school and lived in Jackson, MS. I was always amazed at the number of hunters from Arkansas in there. Definitely a hunter by every tree those first couple of weeks.

Heck of a trophy!

Great story....thanks for sharing. Congratulations!

Congrats David! That is just awesome. You smashed that longbeard

Thanks guys! It was an extremely emotional kill for me. I hung in there even when I about to the point of giving up. If I don't kill another bird this season I'll be just fine. That one was good as five kills for me.

You are the man! I always look forward to reading your posts and viewing your photos. You are one of the most accomplished turkey hunters out there and to say you deserved this bird would be a huge understatement. Unreal man. Congrats on accomplishing such a difficult feat. Outstanding

gobblinglawyer said:

Congrats on the bird!

I hunted Bienville NF when I was in law school and lived in Jackson, MS. I was always amazed at the number of hunters from Arkansas in there. Definitely a hunter by every tree those first couple of weeks.

Heck of a trophy!

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You are definitely right about that! I saw Arkansas tags EVERYWHERE! If I was by my truck they would ride by and say "Hey, you hear any birds gobbling, if so where and how much were they gobbling?" LOL!

Not to mention the one feller that blew that god awful squeal as if it was his distress call for help! That dang Squealing Hen just about gave me a heart attack. Oh, and he was from Arkansas...

Thank God, MAD Calls no longer has that dog whistle as a locator call. If they did the woods would get a tad bit more interesting on public ground.

Awesome thanks for the story!!

Congrats for sure! The rough rides make the finish so sweet! I'm looking forward to starting 2012 in MS.... Florida was too good to pass up this year, again. LoL Way to go!

I am glad your preserverance paid off. Beautiful country too. Congrats on a well earned trophy

Congrats on an awesome adventure!!

you did good !